Monday, December 28, 2015

YASHODHARA KATJU ( Born 1927 ) .. A FORGOTTEN
ACTRESS OF INDIAN CINEMA

She belonged to a reputed
Kashmiri Pandit family from Lahore that
had moved to Lucknow, where her father Sh Jeevan Lal Katju, was appointed on a senior Administrative position by the
British Government. Sh Katju later resigned his Government job and joined freedom struggle of the country . He was a
well known Congress leader from UP. Her Mother's name was Kailashwati ( sister of well known Urdu poet and Judge of Allahabad High court Late Anand Narain Mulla ).

Yashodhra was fondly called as CHUNNU by her parents. Other members of this Katju family were her
brothers Moti Lal katju , Pyare Lal Katju
and her three sisters Chandra ( Manno) , Usha ( Panno ) and Manorama .
Manorama ( Journalist and former Editor of film Journal Screen )
married a European Journalist
named Harold Phillip Mcleod Walter while Usha was
married to Prakash Narain Masaaldaan ( a kashmiri Brahmin ).Katju
family was closely related to Nehrus , Mullas ( Anand Narain Mulla and Dars of
Allahabad / Lucknow ).

Yashodhara studied in English
medium schools and was fluent in English , Hindi and urdu. Apart from that, she
was a highly talented girl who was equally well versed with singing
and dancing . For
some time she also joined Bhatkhande Music Institute lucknow to learn music but devoted more time to dancing and got
herself trained as a professional dancer ( kathakali , katahk and Manipuri ) from some Masters of Lucknow . Later she took dancing lessons in
Bombay as well.

According to Dr Sunil Kothari ,

“With help of Kathak Guru
Mohanrao Kallianpurkar , Pandit Sundar
Prasad( kathak Maestro of Jaipur Gharana ) started Bindadin Maharaj School of
Kathak named after the great Kathak guru Bindadin Maharaj near Babulnath Temple
in Mumbai. It attracted a few young female dancers like Nalini Jayant, who
later on became a well known film star, and Yashodhara Katju who also joined
films.”

All this apart , this talented girl nursed a
desire from her childhood to join films and accordingly, much against the
wishes of her family , she moved to Bombay in 1941. The family is reported to have sought intervention
of Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru also
to dissuade her from joining films but she proved adamant. Katjus were closely related to Pandit Jawahar lal Nehru’s family . It is said that
Chander Mohan Wattal , another actor of
that period too tired to dissuade her from acting in
films but she remained adamant. Her
parents finally consented to her
decision and ensured a boarding and lodging for her in Bombay .

Prior to her , Shyama Zutshi was
the first kashmiri Girl who joined films
in 1934 (She acted in Shiv Bhakti produced in 1934 ).

And in 1941, at a young age of 14 years , she was
offered a role in a movie Titled LALAJI produced by National Studios . The movie was completed in 1942.Her co-actors
in that movie were Yakub, A. R. Kabul, Wasker, Amar, Sunalini, Vatsala Kumtekar, Maya Devi
and Krishnakant .

She started as a co star , moved to lead roles , shifted to
comedy ( Mostly with another comedian of her time known as Bhagwan ) and finally did some memorable
performances as a character actress (Seema , Hare Rama Hare Krishna and Do
Phool etc.) .

Her close friends included Nalini Jayant , Laita Pawar and Nirupa
Roy.Sometime around 1958, she married a Naval officer ( Commander Bhandari )
and lived a happy married life..After 1973, she did not act in films and slipped into Oblivion .She died of a sudden heart attack.

Thursday, December 24, 2015

“BHISAHM SAHNI.. TODAY’S PASTS A
MEMOIR “By Snehal Shingavi ( Published in 2015 by Penguin Books Price Rs499/= Pages 434) .This
Book is English Translation of Hindi Autobiographical
work of Bhisham Sahni titled “ AAJ KE ATEET “ Published by Rajkamal Prakashan
in 2004 . Now translated into English by Snehal Shingavi in 2015....,) ,

BHISHAM SAHNI ( 1915-2003 ) IN A KASHMIRI PHERAN.

( Bhisham and Balraj Sahni.. Not just Brothers alone But Great Friends as well Apart from being Two Affectionate Human Beings )

While Reading Bhisham Sahni’s
Autobiography in English , I came across so many wonderful anecdotes .Surely, some Memories
of Kashmir come up fascinatingly in this Book. I share some anecdotes.. ..

(1)

“ Before pakistan was formed , we
were in kashmir and had gone to Wular lake.There was a Bengali in our group of
friends who had some interest in Palmistry . I also placed my palm before him.
He did not say much but certainly said

“ Your left arm will be injured. “

I shook my head and after 12 years
, myi broke my left arm after falling from the
roof of my “Bunglow” in Ambala . Once we were at Shimla when a sanskrit
scholar looked at sheela’s palm and said that her 76th year will be
significant. And it is true that she passed away at seventy six.”

(2)

" All My cousins used a word
Mattu ( Moa’t in kashmiri ) when they addressed me . They said it with love but
Mattu ( Moa’t ) was an insane person who roamed the streets of srinagar “

(3)

“ In summers , we used to go to
Srinagar . Kashmir was created for sightseeing , after all.What destination was
better for celeberating Honeymoon than kashmir ?One morning , I got two
bicycles . One of them was mine and the other was a Girl’s bicycle that I borrowed
from a neighbour. Sheela and I set of . We went to Dal Lake . We could have
parked our bicycles on the shore , enjoyed the lake on a houseboat and stopped
at Ahdoo’s Restaurant on way back for our Lunch . But I changed my mind. Why
not go to Ganderbal.Sheela was really happy . Her hair was gently blowing in
the breeze and there was a smile on her
lips . But the roads were bumpy and the heat was intense. Sheela was finding it
difficult to continue her cycling. Her
face had turned red and she felt exhausted . She had just taken her Exams a few days ago
and then she was exhausted from the wedding . She was sweating and tired.

“Ganderbal is one of kashmir’s
oldest places . Kheer Bhawani is next right to it. Lake Manasbal is not that far.
You will like it . Just a little more “ I said to her . She kept cycling though she
was extremely tired . soon She began
to cry . We were outside the Temple and I got her something to eat.We relaxed
under a tree but Sheela did not say a
word.She just kept shaking her head.My heart stopped. It was afternoon when a
bus arrived for srinagar . I put the bicycles on the roof of the bus bought
tickets and got into the bus .Sheela looked at me and smiled for the first
time.And when the Bus started , she put her head on my shoulders and soon fell
asleep.”

(4)

“My wife sheela was suddenly
fired from AIR . To supplement our income , she was teaching English to two
foreign women at an embassy . Her Higher ups in the government gave a reasoning
that she needed permission from Government to teach foreigners . She was sad.
Soon she was selected as translator in Moscow as she knew Russian language. But
she did not like that job .She did not enjoy her work.

She belonged to a family of
Police officers and grew up in a different atmosphere than the one in our
home.But according to customs, she had come to live with us and adopt many of
our ways of life.However ,Two or three years after we were married , the Nation
was partitioned and subsequently , we began living increasingly on our own and
running the househld. We began to struggle with our shared present and dream
about our shared future . But basically all our decisions were made with an eye
on my work, whether it was in IPTA , or teaching at Ambala college , or working
for the Teachers Union or later my writing or my job at Moscow. She not only
Completely supported my work , she also actually denied her own ambitions .
There is no doubt that every fibre of my being is grateful to her for this .
Often she used to say ‘ When we were married , I said to myself that this man
is mine. Whatever he is , he is mine. ’She put her hand into mine with that
faith and maintained that faith until the very end.”

(5)

“Going to Vietnam was like going
on a pilgrimage . I also saw the ordinary little shack , The former home of the
Nation’s Great leader Ho Chi Minh : More splendorous than the biggest of
Mansions . His walking stick , umbrella , Hat and jacket were still hanging in
one corner of the shack.It seemed like he had gone out for a little while and
would return anytime now.”

(6)

" I was an innocent child ,
wandering around the alleys and streets like a tramp;from one alley to the next
, aimlessly , and for so long that when shadowy darkness of the evening began
to descend , i would have covered an unimaginable distance ! Then my brother or
family servant , Tulsi , would find me after a search .Finally my father tied a
round , Brass medallion around my neck with words .. THIS BOY IS THE SON OF
BABU HARIPRASAD SAHNI OF CHACHI NEIGHBOURHOOD ; IF ANY ONE FINDS HIM WANDERING
AROUND , PLEASE SEND HIM BACK HOME. "

(7)

“ Muktibodh (Prominent Hindi Poet
of twentieth century ) was sick in Bhopal and in very bad shape.His writer
friends Nemi Chand jain , Shrikant verma , Ram Kumar , Amrita Pritam and myself
decided to meet the then Prime Minister Shastri ji and seek financial and
Medical aid for the poet. And after we met Shastri ji , next day Muktibodh was
brought to Delhi for treatment . He was admitted to Medical Institute but he
did not survive . All of us were overwhelmed by the speed and concern with
which Shastri ji had an ailing writer brought to Delhi “

(8)

“ Once the Afro Asian writers
conference was held in Tunis . At that time ,Tunis was the HQ of exiled PLO
leader Yasser Arafat .I was the executive secretary of Afro Asian Writers
Association. We were joined by Kamleshwar , Balu Rao , Joginder Paul and Abdul
Bismillah . I was invited to PLO HQ.I got a surprise when Yasser Arafat
personally came to escort me and my wife inside the venue. Once inside , we met
twenty or so Palestenian writers .Yasser Arafat had tea with us . He was happy
at Indian Government’s condemnation of unfair treatment of Palestine issue by
Imperialist powers . When I mentioned Gandhi ji and other leaders of our
country , Arafat said, “ They are not merely your leaders , But ours as well.
we respect them as much as you do .” Arafat peeled fruits for the delegation.
He made us tea with honey .He spoke about his Engineering degree , endless
travel and usefulness of honey. I felt at ease with him. I also felt the need
to go to the Washroom and when I emerged , Yasser Arafat was standing there
holding a towel for me .”

(9)

“ When I recall , I recall the
days of childhood when Balraj and me used to play . He would be Rana Partap
making me his horse Chetak.And then Brother deciding to leave home and father
repeatedly trying to get him understand that he should not leave . And then I
see Balraj in Do Bigha Zameen. Then one after another ,many faces appeared to
me that did not belong to Balraj, But were really his.

Balraj’s son Parikshat is doing
good work Now. This was the same Parikshat who sat behind me on the horse when
I was getting married and put his tiny arms around my waist and said that he
won’t let me go anywhere .I saw him in films . I saw him playing the role of an
elderly kashmiri in Tele serial Gul Gulshan Gulfaam. These are glimpses that
our loved ones give us , leaving marks on our memory . There is no empty place
in life.”

(10)

“ In an Afro Asian writer’s
conference , while discussing the works of Manto , Poet Ali sardar jafri made
an argument that it was great that Manto had put up the lives of prostitutes at
the centre of his works, But why didn’t the victimized , exploited prostitutes
in his stories ever become rebels ? Why didn’t they destroy their exploiters
?"

Here is a book that gives you a
Grand account of the progressive writers Movement in India especially the post
partition period with stalwarts like syed Sajjad zaheer , Ali Sardar Jafri ,
Mulk Raj Anand , Rajinder singh Bedi , Mohan Rakesh and many more . Bhisham
sahni takes you on a trip to Russia where he worked as Translator or to
Kampuchea and Vietnam. Prior to this , he gives you a glimpse of Arya samaj
Movement in Punjab and the typical Middle class life style images of His Home
town Rawalpindi . He also takes you to kashmir where the family had set up a
home for spending summer months .Infact , Balraj sahni’s wife Damayanti belonged
to a respectable Arya samaji ( Punjabi ) family of kashmir .

The technique of recording very
small incidents and then making history out of them is only known to Bhisham
sahni and he surely excels in this unique skill. With this technique he reveals
how A gentleman tried to retrieve a golden Bracelet from the arm of his wife
who lay dead in well during Hindu Muslim riots or when Yasser Arafat stood
outside the wash room with a towel for the author .

I have read his short storries and his great
novel TAMAS . TAMAS left a lasting impression on my mind . So was his excellent
short story , ‘Chief ki Daawat’ . As a writer, he demonstrated towering
humanism, compassion and an ability to bring into sharp respite the human
essence of even a patently inhuman situation. TAMAS tells many stories of
everlasting pain and suffering with a bold and compassionate perspective . Any
person who wishes Peace must read this book. It shall make him understand why
it is so important to safeguard peace at any cost .

To Bhisham and his brother Balraj
, kashmir remained unforgettable. A place where they spent the summers of their
childhood ..During winters , the family would move to Rawalpindi..

I end up this brief write up with
a line that I read in this book only….

“Do all human beings have a close
universal origin? Who were the original Vedic Aryans. How Vedic society was a
global influence and what shattered this once world-wide society. The Vedic
influence and proof of its ancient existence has been found in such countries
as Britain, France, Russia, Greece, China, Japan, Egypt, and in areas of
Scandinavia. Further there are strong links between the Vedic and other ancient
cultures, such as the Sumerians, Persians, Egyptians, Romans, Greeks, etc.All
the major religions of the world were influenced by the Vedic tradition and
still contain many Vedic elements within them.”

“The Vedas has a two fold interest, it belongs to the history of
the world and to the history of India. In the history of the world the Vedas
fills a gap which no literary work in any language could fill.”

(Max Muller)

RIGVEDA refers to a country named RUS ?
Is it present day RUSSIA ?

In 2007, Dr Alexander Kozhevin from
Archeology Department of Ulyanovsk State University found
An ancient Vishnu idol during
excavation in an old village in Russia's
Volga region, raising questions about the prevalent view on the origin of
ancient Russia. The idol found in Staraya (old) Maina village dates back to 7th
to 10th century AD. Staraya Maina village in Ulyanovsk region was a highly
populated city 1700 years ago, much older than Kiev, so far believed to be the
mother of all Russian cities. Prior to unearthing of the Vishnu idol, Dr
Kozhevin has already found ancient coins, pendants, rings and fragments of
weapons in this region. Dr Kozhevin, who has been conducting excavation in
Staraya Maina , said that every single square metre of the surroundings of the
ancient town situated on the banks of Samara, a tributary of Volga, is studded
with antiques.

“ We may consider it incredible, but we have ground to assert
that Middle-Volga region was the original land of Ancient Rus. This is a
hypothesis, but a hypothesis, which requires thorough research,"

.

According
to Dr. Acharya Somuchidononanda Pandey an
Indian Sanskrit scholar ,

“ In the Rig Veda, there is a passage
that goes, Itham ascati pasyat syantham, ekam starayath mainaa-kaalam. This
translates into Staraya Maina is the name of the land of the 45 rivers (on
whose banks the noble Rishis conducted the famous Horse Sacrifices), where the
sun god descends into one fifty two forty seven. While the first line identifies
a location, the second line talks about the exact latitude and longitude at
which the solar spectrum produces interference lines at one, fifty two, and
forty seven. The discovery of the idol confirms the location in Russia,
identified in the Rig Veda as rus soviath sapthamahanagaratham (the ancient and
holy land of the 722 flying vehicles). The ancient connections between the
Russians and the Indians has been unequivocally confirmed. In Russian orthodox
Christianity, worship is conducted very much like in Vishnu temples. The
Russians refer to the feast of Vizhnyir Ekoratsya Vikhunh, directly
corresponding with Vaikhunda Ekhadasi. The Russian language also owes a lot to
Sanskrit, whose origins 50,000 years ago roughly correspond with the language
of the people of the Smritzyi archaeological site, along the banks of the
now-dried up Vernstokhlin (Varnasatyakhalini) river system.”

We already know that Slavic rituals and Slavic
names for their gods bear close proximity to Ancient Vedic sources . And then
in 2007 , an ancient Vishnu Idol was found in Volga region that led further
credence to the thought that ancient Vedic society extended to Russia as well.
And an abundance of interesting place names (toponyms) Sanskrit origin in
Russia. For example, the river Ganga and
Padma in the Arkhangelsk region,
Moksha and Kama in Mordovia.
Tributaries of the Kama are Krishneva and Hareva. Indra — the lake in the Yekaterinburg region. Maya — the city
near Yakutsk, etc.

“The problem amongst our leaders may not
be so much in having to accept your movement, but to accept that the Vedic
culture could have very well been the original culture here in Russia.You know
in Russia practically all the scientists accept that the Vedic culture once
flourished here, the center being in the Volga river region.. The debate among
our scientists is only if the Aryans came from India or they originated here.”

And is Vedi sanskrit the mother of
present day Russian language ?

Noted Scholar Dr
Shashi Shekhar Toshkhani adds ,

“ I am happy to find you
referring to the incredible lexical energy of Sanskrit . It is not just Russian
or Polish, words derived from Sanskrit are present in the vocabularies of all
European languages, starting with classical Latin and Greek. The Slav languages
are replete with words taken from Sanskrit. As we know,the discovery of lexical
similarities between Sanskrit and European languages in the 19 th century had
thrilled European linguists, as in it,
they found "milennial roots" of their linguistic culture.
According to Dr. Lokesh Chandra, one of the most eminent scholars of Indian
culture, "Sanskrit words in the European languages are millennial roots
that reach down into the endless soil of time." It is not only the
adoption of the basic vocabulary, he says, "Sanskrit verbal roots,
prefixes and suffixes, as well as the generative system,became the building
blocks of European languages." It is because of the "Westward
push" of the Sanskrit speaking Indic people, and not the assumed
"push to the East" of the Aryans that Sanskrit became the
"substantive base of the Indo-European languages", Dr. Lokesh Chandra
says, giving overwhelming evidence to substantiate his views in this regard.”

( Photograph from a page of Noted Hindi writer Bhisham sahni's book " TODAY's PASTS A MEMOIR ". Sh Sahni adds that there are many words in sanskrit and in Russian that appear common , especially those words that are in religious contexts. In this book , He also adds that Mrs Kamla Ratnam ,wife of the then Cultural ambassador of the Indian embassy at Moscow had compiled a Book on the subject and uncovered hundreds of common words in sanskrit and Russian )

Some more words that are common in sanskrit and Russian

Russian

Sanskrit

English

Krov

Kravya

Blood

Okhotnik

Akhetika

Hunter

svoi

Sva

One’s own

Tebya

Tva

Thou

Nosorog

Narsingha

Rhinoceros

Dr W R Rishi (1917-2002)
eminent scholar and linguist worked as Translator in
Indian Embassy Moscow for some time.. He wrote several books on affinity and
closeness between Sanskrit and Russian language. In his scholarly book "India & Russia – Linguistic
& Cultural Affinity" he writes ,

“In the sphere of
vocabulary, there is such a large number of words which are common to these two
languages that it has not been possible to mention all of them in this chapter.
Only a list of basic words common to both these two languages has been given.
Moreover, as explained in the succeeding paragraphs of this chapter many of the
grammatical rules are common to both these languages and the number of words
common to these two languages formed after the application of such common
grammar rules could be further multiplied.”

(A Photograph of stone inscription in Baku. Special Thanks to Austria Based Artist Kapil Koul for the above photograph.)

Adds Kapil Koul

"

I found
this image in a book about Azerbaijan: inscribed stone (in Devnagri script/
Sanskrit) in the wall of the forte in Baku, 12 th Century."And according to Dr Shashi Shekhar Toshkhani "The
Azerbajan inscription referred to by Kapil Kaul Ji is regarding the Jwala Ji (Goddess of fire ) temple in Baku." Furhter one can see
Swastika engraved on the stone . oldest swastika is reported to have been found
in stone engravings in Ukarine .it is surely a Vedic symbol representing what
is known as PURASHAARTHHAA or combination of Dharma (natural order), Artha
(wealth), Kama (desire), and Moksha (liberation.) )

Journey of a religion or culture , quite often, means the journey of a language . We must
understand and try to find out which religion or culture traveled where along with the language. So many factors are responsible for journey
of a language.

( Autar Mota )

PS

In his Book "Arctic home of Vedas" , Bal
Gangadhar Tilak (1856-1920), believed
that the climate of North pole must have been friendlier in ancient times as has also been mentioned
in some ancient scriptures mailny Vedas and Zoroastrian Avesta. He also brings in some geological, astronomical and
archaeological witness to support his theory . And according to him, when the climatic
conditions changed , the Aryans moved southward into present-day Europe, Iran and
India. Although this theory has never gained widespread reception among
mainstream scholars since it was first published in 1903 yet Tilak has made a undeniable
case which is not easily refutable.Some western Historians also believe that
Arctic to be the primordial cradle of
the Aryan race.

There is another Book Titled ANCIENT
INDIA 2000 BC to 800 AD ( Published in 1904 by LONGMAN LONDON ) that deals with
this theory .According to this the book”
A section of Aryans apparently got disgusted about “animal sacrifices and the
use of the fermented Soma wine”, struck their tents and led off their cattle to
Iran to found the Avestic tradition.”

Another book “The Origin of the
Aryans “ by Isaac Taylor. Isaac Taylor (1829–1901) provides a comprehensive summary of the problematical
issue of the origins of the Indo-European peoples. Taylor’s book was the first
major English-language work to reject the Ex oriente lux theory of
Indo-European origins in favor of a birthplace in southern Russia. He points
out that language alone cannot be a final
indicator of racial origins.Using a thorough evaluation of cranial,
archaeological and cultural evidence, he presents his conclusion.

Wednesday, December 23, 2015

"' DARK CLOUDS ....SILVER LINING" AN EXHIBITION BY RAVINDER JAMWAL WELL KNOWN SCULPTOR OF OUR STATE . DEDICATED TO THE VICTIM OF FIRING FROM ACROSS THE BORDER .

Saw This open Exhibition in the lawns of Jammu University .The Exhibition opened on 15th of December 2015 and concluded on 17th

Ravinder Jamwal ( Born 1960 at Birpur , Jammu ) is a well known sculptor of our state . A post Graduate in Portraiture from M. S. University Baroda , Ravinder Jamwal is known for his experimentation and innovation. He uses paper , Plastic ,Snow, Metal and other mediums for his creative work and quite often fuses his objects with vastness of nature . He does wonderful snow sculpture on mountain tops .He also uses rivers , Ponds, Lakes and mountains skillfully to create sculptures based on folklore , customs , Ballads and Human pain and suffering .

Some of us might have come across his Impressive sculpture of Fearless Zorawar Singh on his galloping horse installed at Bahu Plaza Crossing or Or the statue of Gen Bikram Singh at Bikram Chowk ; So are his 35 other installations at prominent places .

Ravinder ji has held numerous Exhibitions and shows both within the state and outside . He has regularly been commissioned for various Portraits and Statues by Government and Non Government institutions .

“ Autar ji I hold a firm belief that every domain is subject to its limitations . These limitation apply equally to man made domains or domains of the nature . And Life keeps recycling for its flow and movement . Birth – Death – Rebirth cycle .you get my point . The people living along the border whether in India or in Pakistan have felt this cycle of tranquility and hostility perpetually .There is a persian quote of jalaal Rumi,

The recycling of life is the Moral Undercurrent of my expression for both Natural as well as man made objects . My work also rests transcendence of the apparent world . It is an outcome of my state of mind , heart and yes soul. So enjoy and welcome. “

(A snow sculpture done by shri Ravinder jamwal
at Natha top.)

Through his work , Shri Ravinder Jamwal has successfully given expression to the pain and suffering that
the people of this state in general and
more specifically the border resident have been undergoing since last
two and a half decades. One can safely say that the agony of Poor Border
residents happens to be even older .
These Sculptures represent tales of pain and uprootment . An uprootment that affects Man, Animal and
crops .On a little higher plane , it affects Mind ,Psyche and ultimately human happiness and Individual liberty .

For these poor Border residents ,the uprootment , settlement and then
again Uprootment represents the cycle of recurring dark clouds of
suffering with brief spells of sunshine or Normalcy.

( Shri Ravinder Jamwal with his wife )Yes he remains thankful to his dedicated wife who has been a great support to him in his creative activity. She remained at the exhibition all along ;Attending to Guests and Explaining the creations .( Autar Mota )